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“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” --Harper LeeWed, 25 Mar 2015 00:29:49 +0000en-UShourly1Geek Palaverhttp://0.gravatar.com/avatar/849abe0c05eadf5d6b16a246651599ff.png?s=48http://www.geekpalaver.com
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http://i2.wp.com/www.geekpalaver.com/wp-content/uploads/GeekPalaver-Favico-55132077v1_site_icon.png?fit=32%2C32 » Geek Palaver » parenting3232What Else Should We Be Doing To Save Public Education?http://www.geekpalaver.com/2012/08/25/what-else-should-we-be-doing-to-save-public-education/
http://www.geekpalaver.com/2012/08/25/what-else-should-we-be-doing-to-save-public-education/#commentsSat, 25 Aug 2012 15:00:42 +0000http://www.geekpalaver.com/?p=2752Wardynski is a part of a well organized, well funded movement that is seeking to destroy public education in America. And only parents stand in his way.

There’s an excellent conversation happening on yesterday’s post Caveat Emptor Computers in the Classroom. If you care to know what your children’s teachers really think about the digital conversion, give it a look. In addition to those details, there was one question in particular that stood out to me.

What else should we be doing?

This really is the central question in the face of overwhelming financial support and an army of advisors. What can we do when our superintendent thinks he’s the only person of intelligence in the city? What can we do when our elected board, who were hired to represent us, ignore their constituencies and tell the superintendent that he should feel free to ignore us as well?

How can just one parent who is scared about the quality of education our children are receiving possibly hope to make a difference?

How can you make a difference?

What else should we be doing?

Here are a few suggestions.

Talk with your children every day about what they are doing in their classrooms and how they feel about it. I realize that this is like saying you should open your eyes before you try crossing the parkway during rush hour, but it is the first step. Your kids are your best source of information concerning the quality of education they are receiving. Of course, their first response will typically be, “It was fine,” as they put their earbuds into their ears, but you need to draw more information out of them. Ask them about what they studied in English. Ask them about what they’re reading. Ask them about their math, science, social studies, and language studies. Ask them about their art and music classes. Ask them about PE. Ask them how many other kids are in their class. Ask them how they feel about their teacher. No one else (especially not the superintendent) can evaluate your child’s education better than you. But it will take time and effort for you to do so. Take that time. Every single day.

Talk to other parents in your child’s classroom. Get to know them. Form a FaceBook group for the class so that y’all can talk with each other quickly and easily. Ask them what their children are saying about school and the classroom. Often times, despite our best efforts, our kids just simply don’t want to talk to us about what happened during school that day. If you’re friends with other parents in the classroom, you can glean information from them on the days when your kids clam up.

Talk to your teachers (and anyone else working in the classroom). How often do you have a conversation with your kid’s teacher? At the teacher conference at the beginning of the year? When there’s a problem? Make a point of talking to your teachers at least once a week. This doesn’t have to be an extensive conversation/meeting. It could be as easy as a quick email to them to say thanks. But get in touch with them. Make sure that they know you’re interested, engaged, and that they can call on you at any moment. Yes, our teachers are overworked and buried under a ton of red tape these days; however, unlike the superintendent, I have never heard a single teacher say she (or he) doesn’t have time to talk to a parent. They want your help.

Support your teachers (and anyone else working in the classroom). They’re human, and they’re overworked, underpaid, stressed, frustrated by a lack of support from their supervisors, and often have to deal with irrational people with irrational fears. They need to know that you appreciate the miracle they are working to produce for your kids. You would be amazed at the difference a simple thank you note makes, which is truly a sad commentary on our world, but yes, simply saying thanks to your teacher (and reminding your child to do so as well) makes everything go much more smoothly.

Get to know and support your principals (and everyone else working in the building). Again, our schools are under an extraordinary amount of stress these days. Everyone is attacking them. Having a person simply say thank you makes a difference.

Those are the basics. Every single parent with a kid in a school should be doing these things already. But you’re probably thinking, “Thanks Russ, for reminding us that water is wet.”

And you’d be right to do so.

So, what else should we be doing?

Join your PTA. Just because the Huntsville Council of PTAs thinks he’s the superintendent of the year doesn’t mean that everyone who is a member of the PTA agrees. Volunteer. And then be vocal about your opinions. If you think a decision by the superintendent is a good one, say so, and say why. If you think a decision by the superintendent is a bad one, say so, and say why.

Talk to your friends and associates about your opinions. Again, as my dad used to say, opinions are like butt-holes: everyone has one and most of them stink. Make sure your opinions don’t stink by backing them up with a justification and research. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in.

Talk to your board member. Yes, they will listen to you, at least at first. Depending on the issue you raise with them, they may even do what ask them to do. When you see for yourself that there are a lot of issues that they ignore you on, then you can move on to step four.

Vote them out of office. This Tuesday, August 28th, the District One seat (currently held by Laurie McCaulley) and the District Five seat (currently held by Alta Morrison) are both on the ballot in those districts. Ms. McCaulley is running for re-election. Ms. Morrison is not. Because of a complete lack of responsiveness from Ms. McCaulley on issues I’ve raised with her in the past, I cannot support her for reelection. As I have written before, I support Ms. Pat King for District One, and Mr. Carlos Matthews for District Five. I believe both will be far more responsive to the public than anyone on our current board has proven themselves to be.

Talk to Dr. Wardynski. Again, see for yourself the traits I’ve described countlesstimes on this blog. Once you see for yourself, make it a point to hold him accountable. Ask questions and insist that he engage in a discussion with you. He works for you.

Attend the Board Meetings. The board typically meets the first and third Thursday of each month in the Merts building, 200 White Street, at 5:30pm. When attendance is low, the board members assume that means that everyone loves them not that we’re just so disgusted that we can’t stomach to listen to their sycophantic support of a non-educator’s bad ideas.

Call every elected official you know and tell them what you think. I doubt that most of the officials in our city have any idea how completely Dr. Wardynski disregards his employers: Parents. Tell them.

Study. There is not a single idea that Dr. Wardynski has enacted in his 14 months that hasn’t been tried somewhere else and shown to be a failure. These “reforms” he’s enacting are not new. They have been tried in other districts, and they’ve failed. I regularly hear that “we’ve got to do something” and I agree. We do. But do we really have to do things that have already failed elsewhere? Please get a copy of Dr. Diane Ravitch’s book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Dr. Ravitch is a school historian. She, at one point, supported many of the efforts that Dr. Wardynski is putting into play here in Huntsville, but as she studied them, she changed her mind. Read her book, read her blog, and find out why.

Finally, what else should we be doing?

We should be standing up for our children and for what we believe in. Dr. Wardynski is putting forth and enacting a political agenda that has been developed for him by the Broad Foundation. He is not acting in the best interests of our kids. He’s acting in his own best interests. And his best interests are not what is best for your children.

He is using his power, budget and influence to silence critics. He is using every political tool he has to enact his agenda of privatizing public schools, of ending public education in America.

He is a part of a well-organized, well-funded movement that is seeking to destroy public education in America.

And the only thing that is standing in his way are parents who are willing to stand up, ask questions, and insist on answers for their children.

So long as we have the conviction of our beliefs supporting us, it doesn’t matter how wealthy the opposition is. It doesn’t matter how well-organized they are. It doesn’t matter how rude they are. If we stand by our convictions, if we stand for what is right, if we stand for our teachers, and most importantly, if we stand for our kids, we will make a difference. We will turn this ship around.

I was asked an important question yesterday by a good friend: “Do you ever worry that your activism will result in retribution against your kids?”

The short answer to that question is, simply, yes.

As a dad, I worry about that every single time I post anything. I worry about it every time I ask a question. I worry.

So, why do I do it? If I’m doing it for my kids as I claim, why take the risk?

The answer is just as simple as the question: my kids, especially my boy, are being put at risk by the decisions of the leadership of this school district. The risk is already there. I didn’t bring it. I didn’t create it. It wasn’t the result of my actions.

My kids, their education, their future, their lives, were at risk before I asked a single question. They were at risk before I wrote a single word.

That’s the system that we have now.

But still I worry.

I worry about collateral damage every time I post anything, and believe it or not, I think about every word I post in that light.

I worry that my actions might hurt another human being.

I even worry that my actions might hurt those whom I believe are seeking to hurt my kids.

While I realize that what I’m about to say is often considered heresy in this town, I am a pacifist. I don’t believe in war. I don’t believe that we can help perfect our world by fighting each other.

I think that change, true change, comes as a result of communication, connection, understanding and love.

But love is not the same thing as subservience. Love is not obsequiousness as the Huntsville City School board seems to believe.

Love means standing up when necessary.

Love is risk.

Love is speaking for those who don’t have a voice.

Our kids don’t have a voice in this system.

Our teachers don’t have a voice in this system.

Our instructional aides don’t have a voice in this system.

Even parents, tax-paying parents, don’t have a voice in this system.

Only those who fully and vocally agree with the superintendent’s actions and decisions have a voice.

I’m not conceited enough (I am conceited, though, just not enough) to believe that I can be a voice for all of those people.

But I can be a voice for my voiceless son who struggles to ask for juice when he’s thirsty.

I can be a voice for my daughter when she wonders why she’s having to spend so much time taking tests when she could be reading another book or writing another poem.

For those two, I can and should be a ripple in the water.

Despite the risk from those who might further threaten children (or teachers for that matter) when a dad dares to ask a question that the leadership of the district doesn’t like, we get to be a ripple in the water.

Making waves for the sole purpose of making waves is useless. In fact, it’s dangerous. As such, I try hard to avoid waves for their own purpose. (I’m sure there are many who disagree with me on this. This isn’t an exact science; that’s why I invite those who disagree with me to speak up. It helps me keep a sense of perspective.)

]]>http://www.geekpalaver.com/2012/06/17/a-ripple-in-the-water/feed/6Wardynski Alone Educates Kidshttp://www.geekpalaver.com/2012/06/10/wardynski-alone-educates-kids/
http://www.geekpalaver.com/2012/06/10/wardynski-alone-educates-kids/#commentsMon, 11 Jun 2012 05:12:57 +0000http://www.geekpalaver.com/?p=2460"The city isn't paying me to work with adults. The city is paying me to educate kids." If I mattered, I'd ask how he plans to do this alone.

So the city woke today to not one, but two pieces in the Times telling us just how wonderful the superintendent is.

At least one of them made a clear attempt to support some of the statements with facts and evidence. While I recognize that Mr. McCarter was writing a column and not an article, it would still have been nice to see at least a few of his claims supported by some evidence.

(By what standard, for example, has Dr. Wardynski’s first “season” wrapped up with a 9 and 2 record, Mr. McCarter? Was there a scoreboard hiding in your office that people didn’t know about? Also, where’s the evidence of Dr. Wardynski’s “impressive curriculum vitae of education and military experience?” He has, to date, 23 months of educational experience. By what standard is that “impressive?” Granted, he’s done an impressive job of giving his friends raises before they even start working and plum jobs they’re not qualified for, but I don’t see how that’s an impressive CV. Just wondering.)

Of course, Mr. McCarter has many powerful people in the city who agree with him.

First up was Mayor Battle who told the Times, “I think he has been the catalyst that has moved our entire system forward,” and that Wardynski “knows the progress of every student in the district, at every school, on every test.”

It would be nice if the Mayor could be bothered to ask the opinion of a teacher or two about the progress of students. After all, Dr. Wardynski isn’t in the classroom on a daily basis. He doesn’t see the progress that a test doesn’t evaluate. Only a teacher sees that.

But teachers aren’t important. After all, according to Dr. Wardynski, when he arrived only “26 percent of the district’s leaders were strong.”

That’s right, only a quarter of our principals and teachers in place at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year were “strong” by whatever method of evaluation the superintendent chose to use.

When you consider that, it’s astonishing, absolutely astonishing, that any of our students managed to actually graduate before Dr. Wardynski arrived. And U.S. News and World Report must have been mistaken when it ranked Huntsville High and Grissom High number 7 and 10 in the state. After all, despite Dr. Cooper’s taking credit for those rankings, claiming that it shows “that our commitment to student achievement is working,” these rankings were based on test scores from two years before the “strong leadership” of Dr. Wardynski arrived.

That’s okay, though. A strong leader like the superintendent should take credit for other’s work.

Next to tell us just how lucky we are that Dr. Wardynski sacrificed so much to come save us was David Blair, Vice-President of the Board of Education. He claimed that “he is happy with the decisions Wardynski has made.” I suppose he has decided to “just trust” Dr. Wardynski’s decisions despite any questions he might have about them.

I’m astonished that Dr. Robinson didn’t make herself available to sing his praises, but I suppose she does enough of that at the board meetings.

The article ends with the Alabama Education Association, Rex Cheatham, also praising him.

So clearly, everyone has been heard from. No other opinion could possibly matter, could it?

Principal’s opinions don’t matter. As Mr. McCarter says, Wardynski “doesn’t sit on bad principals. But – here’s the cause for optimism for this system – he stands on good principles.”

Punny, huh? No evidence for those principles Wardynski is standing on. Just take Mr. McCarter’s word for it. Or Wardynski’s word when he claims that three quarters of our principals were weak leaders.

So, I bet that 74% of the city of Huntsville had no idea that their children were suffering under “weak leaders.” It’s so good of Dr. Wardynski to tell us these things without offering any evidence supporting his claims.

Teachers opinions don’t matter. After all Dr. Wardynski knows exactly how your child performed on four standardized tests. So clearly teachers don’t matter.

They are the “problem adults” who made our district so racially divided. Their opinions and desires don’t matter. Dr. Wardynski, and Dr. Wardynski alone is capable of judging what’s best for our students.

Parents opinions don’t matter. Not one parent was interviewed for the articles today.

Parents don’t matter when they ask why their children’s classroom has a never-ending turnover of therapists, instructional assistants and even teachers.

But then all three of those groups, principals, teachers and parents are all “adults.” And Dr. Wardynski believes that, according to a quote in Mr. McCarter’s column, “The city isn’t paying me to work with adults. The city is paying me to educate kids.”

Stephen King wrote once that God punishes us for what we can’t imagine. There is truth there. Yet the opposite is also, always a possibility. This is why life is so interesting.

God also amazes us with what we can’t imagine.

At 5:43pm eight years ago today, this happened to me when into my life came the girl.

Birthdays are hard on me. Not mine. I couldn’t care less about those. But the kids’ birthdays always kick me in the heart. There, as Croce sang, never seems to be enough time.

Life is a constant sprint. Running to the kitchen making sure that the strange smell coming out of the toaster isn’t dangerous. Racing to school. Speeding past the cop to get to ballet. Screaming down the hallway as I hear water splashing on the floor next to the tub. Our lives together are together. I think I’m getting at least that much right, but our lives are fast. And that breaks my heart.

I’m terrified, especially on birthdays, that I’m losing her a little more every day.

She’s flying past me as I try to grab hold of a moment. A moment where I can make the world better with just a raspberry on a belly. Just one moment where I can stop and hold my baby girl in my arms. Just a few more moments where she’s playing dress-up rather than actually getting dressed up.

[to go out and away]

But again, my imagination fails and God steps in to amaze. For every moment I spend wishing for her to remain my baby, I’m amazed by the beautiful, loving, funny girl that she has become. I’m stunned by her intelligence, shocked by her wisdom, surprised by her beauty.

I’m amazed, constantly amazed, that I get to spend my life watching her grow, helping her grow, pushing her to grow even though I don’t want her to, into such a caring young woman who is starting to seek out her own path in this world.

]]>http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/12/22/to-be-enough-time/feed/1Of Gumbo and Sunsetshttp://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/10/08/of-gumbo-and-sunsets/
http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/10/08/of-gumbo-and-sunsets/#commentsSun, 09 Oct 2011 03:57:54 +0000http://www.geekpalaver.com/?p=1811Frankly, there's just more important things to do, like spending time with my family as they grow. Because they're the important ones. And my time with them feels like it's fading as the sun into the sea.

So fall break has come and nearly gone, and another beach trip with it. I’m a lucky guy. I got to see this, and share it with my family.

There was swimming, and running, and jumping, and singing, and playing, and digging, and hugging, and laughing, (and a few exhaustion tears), and gumbo. Always gumbo, holding it all together.

Gumbo is an amazing dish. Separately, you have little that’s worth eating alone. I mean sure, shrimp is always great (and sausage), but the rest is just rice, flower, okra, onion, and oil. In other words, absolutely nothing to write home about (or blog about for that matter).

But when you mix them together, and add time and hard work (you’ve got to constantly stir the roux, or it will burn), leave them all to sit together overnight, and what comes out is pure magic.

Vacations are the same way. Play hard. Stir the pot by getting your girl to talk to you while hunting for crabs. And try not to get lost forever in her eyes.

Pay attention when the boy is singing “Hakuna Matata,” so you can sing the “No Worries” lyric at just the right moment.

Pay attention and give everything time to sit together overnight. What comes out is pure magic.

As I said, I’m a lucky guy.

__________

Some have noticed that I haven’t written as much lately. That I haven’t written nearly as much about the School Board as I was writing in the past.

Although I’m sure that I will be writing about our schools for a long time to come, there’s a simple explanation for that: As important as trying to keep the board honest and the superintendent focused on keeping our kids first is, honestly it’s about 99th on my top 100 list. (It’s slightly ahead of making sure the toilets are flushing correctly. A necessary, but completely unenjoyable task.)

In other words, there’s more to life than working to make our public officials do their jobs. Plus, when there’s always that one crazy guy who goes to the meetings and writes about the inane crap the board and super say and do, no one else thinks that they need to do the same.

And frankly, there’s just more important things to do, like spending time with my family as they grow. Because they’re the important ones.

]]>http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/10/08/of-gumbo-and-sunsets/feed/6A Good Night at Challenger Elementaryhttp://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/09/17/a-good-night-at-challenger-elementary/
http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/09/17/a-good-night-at-challenger-elementary/#commentsSat, 17 Sep 2011 15:57:13 +0000http://www.geekpalaver.com/?p=1754This is why I fight for our schools: Because they fight for us, all of us regardless of ability, every day and every night. And so I say thank you to our school, the administration, staff, teachers, aides, parents and kids.

I know that there are many who are waiting to hear more about some of the decisions made this past Thursday night. (The hiring of yet another person from Aurora, CO as Deputy Superintendent is just one. It’s a good time to have friends in high places.) There were a ton of them; I’m working through them right now.

But I’ve been busy these past couple of days with far more enjoyable stuff. For example, I heard yesterday that the boy has a beautiful little kindergarten girl who “like-likes” him! Being a typical boy, he remains unswayed by her charms.

What I wanted to write about this morning as the boy is curled up next to me (the “girls” are on a Girl Scout trip and we had a late boy’s night watching movies!), is the amazing dedication that I saw last night at the Challenger Elementary PTA’s Family Fun Night.

Picture this: it’s finally Friday, and you’re exhausted. It’s been a ridiculously long week of trying to put out fires, responding to staffing vacancies for jobs that no one seems to want, making sure that kids are safe and not, say, trying to flush themselves down a toilet for the fun of it, and on top of it all, trying to teach those students math, science, reading and writing so that a federal bureaucrat doesn’t cut your funding from zero to a fee that you have to pay.

What exactly would you want to do on a Friday night at six o’clock? Go home? Relax? Read or just forget about work for a while?

For me it would certainly be all of the above.

But last night, through the hard work of the Challenger Elementary PTA, many of our teachers, instructional assistants, and staff including Mrs. Carol Costello, Challenger’s principal, decided to put aside their own exhaustion and join the kids, families and friends on the field at Challenger for a family fun night of pizza, playing, and a movie under the stars.

There was pizza. There were Icees. There was music (Black Eyed Peas, “I’ve Got a Feeling“). There was sliding, swinging, running, jumping, and talking birds from Rio.

It was indeed a good night.

A good night for our entire community, coming together to talk and play. Kids, Parents, Teachers, Aides, Staff and Principal.

This is why I fight for our schools: Because they fight for us, all of us regardless of ability, every day and every night. And so I say thank you to our school, the administration, staff, teachers, aides, parents and kids.

Because of your commitment to educating every child, my son has a girl who is sweet on him. My son has a place where he is safe and welcomed. My son has a place where he and his dad can have a great night.

]]>http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/09/11/through-a-mirror-darkly/feed/0The PTA: For All of Our Kidshttp://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/09/05/the-pta-for-all-of-our-kids/
http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/09/05/the-pta-for-all-of-our-kids/#commentsMon, 05 Sep 2011 16:31:05 +0000http://www.geekpalaver.com/?p=1701Our PTAs go out of their way to be inclusive and supportive of those students who have special needs. For this, I say thank you, and the boy offers high fives.

It’s strange what having a relaxing weekend away will do to you. Suddenly you start seeing things in a different light. I love my job. Truly love it. But it’s a far and away distant second when it comes to my family. Everyday, my boy, my girl, and Laurel remind me of just how lucky I am. And getting to spend a weekend at the lake with them just reinforces it for me.

I’m honored to be a part of a group called the Rocket City Bloggers. These are a collection of some really amazing writers who give away their ideas, suggestions, hints and art to anyone who wants to take a look. (Which is, by the way, just another thing that I love about the Rocket City: its diversity and art.)

Every month someone in the group hosts a Rocket City Blogging Carnival that displays the work of the collective group all in one easy location for browsing. It’s a great way to meet new writers and to hear new ideas. This month’s carnival follows the theme of “Huntsville Favorites.”

So I’ve been in positive frame of mind. What of it?

Just kidding. I’m just thankful to have a weekend away from work to unpack some of the ideas that have been floating around like the first yellow and red leaves on the lake.

So this weekend, the PTA has been on my mind, and I realized that I had been negligent in writing about things that make a difference in education by not having mentioned the PTAs by name yet. This is a shame since Huntsville PTAs (in particular the ones at Farley, Challenger and Mt. Gap Elementary) are some of my Huntsville Favorites.

Sometimes PTAs get a bad rap. Occasionally PTAs seem like you’ve stepped back in time and are in grade school all over again. Many of the same battles that you faced in school get rehashed later in life. Jeannie C. Riley had a wonderful tongue-in-cheek hit with it in the late sixties about the Harper Valley PTA which made excellent hay pointing out hypocrisy for humor.

On a more serious note, PTAs are often accused of being an exclusive playground designed to garner special consideration for their own children keeping others locked out.

This is not true of the PTAs here in the Huntsville PTAs. As a member of two PTAs (Challenger Elementary and Mt. Gap Elementary), I can readily say that I’ve never know a group of parents who are more wiling to give up their time, energy, and money trying to make sure of just a few things:

That our schools are as well supplied, maintained, and safe as possible for all kids;

That our teachers are supported and appreciated so that they may actually focus on teaching rather than fundraising, maintenance and security;

That the administration of our schools are constantly aware that the parents in this town are involved, inquisitive, informed, and that we are watching.

This is the role that a PTA plays. When it works, as it does here in Huntsville, it works because people are putting aside their differences and working together toward a common goal.

Our PTAs aren’t Conservative verses Liberal. They aren’t Rich verses Poor. They aren’t the “in crowd” verses “the outcasts.” Despite occasionally ribbing over in state rivalries, (football season did begin on Saturday after all), our PTAs aren’t even divided by cries of War Eagle and Roll Tide.

Our PTAs are places where everyone, everyone can participate.

Everyone can work together for our common goals of putting students first. That’s the beauty of the PTA; it is a democracy at its finest. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, rich or poor, handicapped or able to run freely. It doesn’t matter if you were a cheerleader, the football captain, or the nerd sitting in the library (like me), if you care about putting students first, you’ll be welcomed.

The PTA gives everyone, even those who do not speak often like my son, a voice in the development and direction of our schools.

By holding the car line still just a little longer in the morning, by bringing gluten-free cupcakes to parties, by hosting awareness raising celebrations, by giving a child an extra hand with the hula-hoop until he gets the idea, our PTAs go out of their way to be inclusive and supportive of those students who have special needs. For this, I say thank you, and the boy offers his high five.

All that having a voice requires is participation at whatever level you’re capable. My experience has been that even those who work full-time can find a way to help out after schools have closed. In short, there is something here for everyone. That is, if (and yes, it’s a big if) we’re willing to set aside our differences, our isolationism, our selfishness to work together for a common goal.

Our PTAs are wonderfully diverse, accepting, and welcoming. Yes, occasionally they have flaws and weaknesses, but they’re made up of humans. It comes with the territory.

But if you believe in making your child’s school a better place, if you believe in putting students first, join your PTA, and share your voice.

]]>http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/09/05/the-pta-for-all-of-our-kids/feed/2Transparency and Accountabilityhttp://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/08/27/transparency-and-accountability/
http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/08/27/transparency-and-accountability/#commentsSun, 28 Aug 2011 00:12:10 +0000http://www.geekpalaver.com/?p=1666Irritation is a beautiful thing. One of the few times we're really paying attention is when we're irritated, and we can't learn without paying attention.

I think it’s a good thing that there are bloggers out there watching very closely and holding people accountable. Everyone in the news should be able to hold up to that kind of scrutiny. I’m for as much transparency in the news gathering process as possible.

–Anderson Cooper

I teach humanities classes: English, philosophy and religion in a state school. Yes, we teach religion classes at a state school. Hard to believe, but true.

And it makes for some interesting discussions when we talk about the problem of evil, or discrimination in the name of Jesus. Passions run hot sometimes when discussing things about which people are, in Tillich’s terms, ultimately concerned.

And so, at the beginning of the semester, I lay out some basic ground rules. They start with a simple one that most of us learned as small children.

Treat each other the way you want to be treated.

It’s easily understandable, and it’s manageable. Plus it keeps the arguments that erupt in a classroom, on occasion, in check.

But I also give them a single exception to the golden rule. I tell my students that I will absolutely treat them with respect, but when it comes to me and how they treat my ideas, the golden rule doesn’t apply.

I tell them, if you think my ideas are full of poop, I expect you to tell me so.

Full of . . .

(Yeah it’s college. Funny thing about language: “Poop” is actually more shocking to my students than the s-word ever could be. And in that regard, even though I’ve used it with both of my kids since their first one, it’s actually the vulgar of the two terms for my students.)

My students are free and encouraged to tell me that I’m full of poop. All I ask is that they tell me why they believe me so. And they are free to use any descriptive adjective or adverb that they wish. (In fact, for the English classes, the more descriptive, the better.)

This is the only way that I learn. And it’s the only way I know how to teach.

Occasionally, they take me up on the offer. And when they do, education happens.

Irritation is a beautiful thing. One of the few times we’re really paying attention is when we’re irritated, and we can’t learn without paying attention.

And so, I irritate my students and I encourage them to irritate me.

And I’m willing to accept the consequences when I do. Including being told that I’m full of poop, evil, liberal, conservative (yes, it has happened, but I’m not entirely sure that the person saying it knew what it meant), socialist, communist, fascist (again, I’m fairly certain there was a basic misunderstanding of the term, but maybe not) evil, mean, racist (against both those of my own race and those who are of another), whiny, and a loser who needs his butt kicked. (Although in fairness, I’ve never been told that in class, only in the Huntsville Times, who, to their credit, deleted the comment.)

As I tell my students regularly, I get paid to irritate you, and I really love my job!

And occasionally their response of why I’m full of poop turns out to be correct. (Like anytime I try to do math in my head! As I tell them, that’s why I teach English.)

And so for sixteen weeks my students and I have a relationship based on irritation, conflict, and, when we’re lucky, open and honest discussion. You know, kinda like every great marriage between friends.

Well, not exactly.

So what’s my point here? (Rambling is, after all, part of my charm.)

It’s simple. I need you, my readers, to tell me when I’m full of poop.

I never set out to become a public figure. Honestly, this all started with Dr. Moore and the board (the same one we have now, by the way) complaining about confrontational parents. I was astonished at the sense of entitlement that I saw from people who had fired 400 teachers/aides/staff to cover their own mismanagement.

But in expressing my astonishment, I have become something of a public figure. I’ll ask you to believe that this introvert doesn’t really enjoy it. Take a look at my hands before or after I speak at a board meeting if you need evidence.

For the record: I just want the board and superintendent to put students first. I don’t want to be a board member. I don’t want to be the superintendent. I want to be a dad. I want to be a husband. I want to be a teacher. And that is all.

But, as this week’s news article shows, because of my public stands, I’m something of a public figure. And so I need your help.

I don’t care at all that “SAWB” thinks I was asking for the school system to raise my child. I had a great laugh at “teraplane” for working so hard to come up with a witty play on my last name by calling me a “loser.” It must have taken hours for him/her to come up with that one. (As I’ve been hearing it since elementary school, perhaps “teraplane” should consult a first grader before posting next time.) That “BAMA1964RB” believes I “shall reap what [I] have sown! Ever heard of that old axiom??????,” does not matter (or make any sense) to me.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m not often full of poop.

That’s where you, constant reader, come into the circle.

Please understand, I’m not trying to simply hit you up for praise. I’m being as genuine here as I know how.

I am a blind man from Indostan thinking myself insightful when I cannot see. Without help, my understanding will always be incomplete.

That’s why I need your help. In fact, that’s why we need each other. I cannot understand the motivations and inner workings of the Huntsville City Schools without your help. On my own, I’m every bit the “loser” that the brave, anonymous posters on al.com said I was. I don’t understand anything.

So, when I’m full of poop, tell me. When I am blind to the truth in front of me, open my eyes by sharing with me what you see. If I begin thinking I am wise, remind me, rudely, just how stupid I am.

As Socrates said, the beginning of wisdom is understanding that you know nothing at all.

I will do everything I can to make my approach, motivation, goals and plans as transparent as possible so that you can help me see what I cannot. I will not develop plans in secrecy.

Without honest feedback, and without accountability, I’m lost. To Anderson Cooper’s quote above, I would add this: this blogger will attempt to always be transparent, and I should also be held accountable for what I say and do.

This isn’t about me. And it isn’t even about my boy or daughter. It’s about ensuring that all of our children are a priority to our schools system.

For this to have any hope of bringing about change, we’ve got to work together.

So, if I start running off following my own private plans, remind me that I’m as full of poop as everyone else.

By making our students and classrooms a priority, together, we will make this the greatest school system, the greatest city, in our nation.

]]>http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/08/27/transparency-and-accountability/feed/4How Do You Justify Aides for Administration?http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/08/18/how-do-you-justify-aides-for-administration/
http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/08/18/how-do-you-justify-aides-for-administration/#commentsFri, 19 Aug 2011 01:26:07 +0000http://www.geekpalaver.com/?p=1606How can you justify spending 63 times more money on yourself as you have my son?

Editor’s Note: These were the comments that I made to the Huntsville City School’s Board of Education at the board meeting tonight. Dr. Wardynski’s response to my comments was, “I did not state that we were hiring people at a nationally competitive rate, but rather that the salaries were competitive on the state level.” I have decided to accept his word on this point. Yet the question remains, why are we competitive on a state level in administrative positions but paying our teachers the state minimum? I have altered the statement below to reflect this change.

It’s interesting that that was the only thing he chose to respond to.

Dr. Wardynski, I’m here to remind you to put students first.

There are soon going to be at least four salaried positions whose primary jobs are to assist you in doing your job. Right now, my son has access to two-fifths of one aide to assist him. These positions include your Administrative Assistant, The Director of Transition, and you’re planning to hire a Director of Community Engagement and Partnership Development at a rate of $58,000 to $95,000. Finally, you’re planning to hire a Deputy Superintendent at a rate of $84,000 to $134,000 a year.

The superintendent continues to hire people at, as he said about the new CSFO, nationally competitive rates state competitive rates. These new contracts include incentive based raises. In short, the superintendent has at least $252,000 in aides while my son has $4,000 in aides.

I would like to know how you can justify this?

How can you justify these positions when students are still waiting for teachers to be hired?

How can you justify these positions when students are still waiting for instructional assistants to help them in their transitions?

How can you justify offering raises to administrators when teachers’ step raises have been frozen for an indeterminate amount of time?

How can you justify offering nationally competitivestate competitive salaries to your administration when new teacher salaries are set at the state minimum?

How can you justify adding these central office positions to the system’s budget when we don’t have money for teachers to buy basic supplies like ink or paper?

How can you justify spending 63 times more money on yourself as you have my son?

How can you justify putting your needs in front of the needs of the students?